If the length of each side of a square is increased by 50%, what is the ratio of the new square's area to the original square's area?

Explanation

Assume the original square has side length x, so its area is x². After increasing each side by 50%, the new side length becomes 1.5x. The new area is (1.5x)² = 2.25x² = 9x²/4. Therefore, the ratio of the new area to the original area is (9x²/4) : x², which simplifies to 9:4.